Material collecting and loading apparatus



Jan. 5, 1943. J. B. WOODBURY MATERIAL COLLECTING AND LOADING APPARATUS Filed Sept. -22, 1941' 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor /Zn B. Whoa/bury Gttorneg Jan. 5, 1943. .1. B. WOOJBURY MATERIAL COLLECTNG AND LADING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 22, 19411 2 SheetS-Sheet 2 n l Snventor 'Jb/zzz Z3. Modbufy gsm. Agway@ 9 gm/L.

Gttomegs- Patented Jan. 5,19% i v y v l v STATES PATENT OFFICE MATERIAL COLLECTING anp LoAniNG APPARATUS John B. Woodbury, South Portland, Maine, as-

signor to Maine Steel, Inc., South Portland, Maine, a. corporation of Maine Application september 22. 1941, serial ivi-1.411.832

' 'a claims. (ci. 214-131) This invention relates to machines for hanrelative to the chute box and may be attached to dling such objects as pulp wood logs, billets, or and operated from either side of the attendants other units lwhich have to be moved from the platform; Y place at which they are collected to the place By this construction, a load of logs from a log where they are to be stored or used. pile `may be picked up by the receptacle. the

Considering pulp wood logs as typical of the tractor driven to the logging road or other point general problem, the logs are piled in the vicinity where the logs are to lbe unloaded, the receptacle oi' the place where they are cut for transportathen emptied into the chute box, and the logs K tion on sleds or the like to the place where they controllably discharged from said chute box onto are to be stored. l0 the sled or other conveyance.

The general object of my invention is to pro- Other advantages will appear as the descripvide a machine for eiliciently loading the out logs Y tion proceeds. i onto the sleds or other conveyance. In the accompanying drawings I have illus- In achieving this object, I utilizethe general Y .trated a machine designed' especially to handle principle of the machine shown fn the Andersen l logs. Referring to the draWingSt patents, Nos. 2,182,781 and 2,233,237. f' I have. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my machine showhowever, re-designed said machine to adapt it ing in full lines the'loading position of the recepto this special work. As now constructed, the tacle and in dotted lines its discharging position, loading receptacle swings through only a limited the rigging for adjusting the discharge chute bepath, viz., from a loading position near the ing omitted for clarity ,of illustration. ground at one end of the tractor to an overn Fig. 2 is an end view of my machine, as seen head discharge position at or near vertical center. from the front, the loading receptacle being and the tractor roof is utilized as a support for raised to discharge position.

a forwardly and downwardly inclined chute box Fig. 3 is atop plan view showing the loading into which the logs are discharged from the rereceptacle in loading position at a log pile, and ceptacle, Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side view thereof.

'Ihe bottom wall of the receptacle is of open I have indicated generally at I0 the frame of fork-like construction presenting parallellongia tractor or other self-propelled vehicle of contudinally extending tines or teeth. `'l'hese are so ventional type. Pivoted at II to the sides of the spaced as to straddle the usual skids on which the tractor is a pair of receptacle supporting arms I2 logs are cross-piled so that when Vthe receptacle carrying at their outer end a loading receptacle teeth are entered beneath one end of the log pile, y I3 having an automatically latching cover I4 the logs will be scooped or gathered into the rei operated by-a trip cable I5 from a trip lever I8 ceptacle and will lie cross-wise thereof. preferably mounted within convenient reach oi When the receptacle is iilled, it is raised to the vehicle driver. The receptacle I3 is o f special dumping position and the tractor is then moved design. It has an open top and mouth, spaced to av point near the sled or other conveyance side walls Il, and a rear wall constituted by the onto which the logs are to'be dumped, whereupon cover It which is hinged near its upper edge at the cover of the receptacle is .tripped by the oper-v I8 to the side walls. The bottom wall of the ator to dump the logs into the chute box. 40 receptacle is of open fork-like construction pre- The logs maintain their cross-wise disposition senting a plurality of spaced parallel longitudiin the chute box throughout-their downward nally extending tines or teeth I9. These are so sliding or rolling travel along the same and when spaced as to straddle the usual skids S (see Fig. they reach the forward end of the chute box they 4) on which the logs L are piled cross-wise. The contact a. displaceable gate disposedtransversely tines or teeth are slightly curved as at 20 to -fu1- across the lower end oi' said box. The gate is crum properly against the ground when entered manually opened and closed in any suitable manfrom one end beneath the log pile and thence ner, as by means of a foot-treadle operated by extend upwardly and rearwardly in a substantialan attendant working from an elevated platform ly straight line to the lower or latching edge of adjacent to the forward end of the chute box, so 5` the cover I4. The cover latch 2| is pivoted at -that the logs may pass said gate singly and dis- 22 in any suitable bracket can-led by one oi the charge by gravity endwise down a second chute tines'or teeth, and the trip arm for said trip is disposed at an angle to said chute box and leadindicated at 23. The trip cable I5 is-made fast ing to the sled or other conveyance. The lastto the free end oi' said arm as at'24. named Chute iS Preferably ansularly adjustable The receptacle is swung in a limited arcuate path over theroof of the tractor by any suitable lsingly therepast.

power means preferably taking its drive from the tractor motor. Such power means may be either mechanical or hydraulic.

` the pedal for which is indicated at 30.

Mounted on the roof of the tractor in the fore and aft line thereof is a chute box 3|. The box slopes downwardly from rear to front and at its front end wall has a displaceable gate 32 sliding in a vertical path and operated at will by means of afoot treadle or other control 33. 'I'he treadle is pivoted at 34 to an elevated platform 33 and is connected by suitable linkage 38 with the gate. The platform 35 isarranged adjacent the discharge .endof the chute box l2 so that an attendant stationed on said platform may observe the logs L in the chute box and operate the gate at the proper time.

to a hand wheel 32 mounted conveniently within the reach of the operator standing on platform Various modifications in construction and arrangement may obviously be made within the spirit and scope of my invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

'1.'A log loaderl comprising -a self-propelled vehicle to be moved to a position at right angles to one end of a pile of logs piled cross-wise on spaced longitudinally extending skids, arms pivoted to the sides of said vehicle and extending beyond the rear end'thereof, a receptacle mounted at the free ends of said arms and having spaced side walls, a trip cover pivoted at one edge to said side walls and constituting a displaceable rear wall for said receptacle and an open fork-like bottom between saidv side walls and presenting spaced parallel longitudinally extending tines or teeth spaced apart a distance to straddle the skids of the log pile when the receptacle is presented at right angles to one endof the log pile for loading whereby when the receptacle is raised'the logs-will slide rearwardly along. said teeth back towards said cover and will be loaded cross-wise .The chute box is of a width to receive the logs f cross-wise as they are dumped in it in that arrangement from the loading receptacle and keeps them in that arrangement as they gravitate down the same.

y Preferably the degree of opening movement of the gate isisuch as to cause the logs to discharg As the logs leave vthe gate, they rolll onto a downwardly and outwardly inclined discharge apron 31 disposed transversely across the lower end ofthe chute box. Pivoted to apron 31 at one side or the other of the platform 35 is a chute into the receptacle, power means for swinging the receptacle in an overhead arcuate path from its loading position to a dumping position adjacent the vertical center of its swing, manually operable means for tripping the receptacle cover, a chute box mounted on the vehicle roof in the fore and aft line thereof `and inclined from the rear towards the front end of the vehicle and into which thereceptacle discharges, said chute box extension 31. The logs lodge endwise ytherein as they pass the gate 32 v(see Fig. 1)v and gravitate down'thechute in that arrangement to a sled or other conveyance on the ground.

' Anysuitable mechanism, mechanical or hyfast at one `endete chute 31* and at its other end being s o dimensioned as to position the logs cross wise thereof, a manually operable gate at the discharge end of said chute box, and a discharge chute adjacent said gate and disposed at an angle to said chute box for directing the logs discharging thereinto downwardly and laterally away from the vehicle.

2. The log loader of claim l, and a platform for an attendant adjacent the discharge end of the chute box, the discharge chute being adjustable relative to the vehicle, .and there being a control for the gate of the chute box anda control foradiusting said discharge chute, and both of said controls being located conveniently within the reach of an attendant standing on said plat form. JOHN B. WOODBURY. 

